According to a recent survey by UCLA's Cooperative Institutional Research Program, the incoming college freshman class cares more about our nation's politics than previous classes. This carries the hopes that we are in the midst of a new generation of politically minded individuals akin to previous decades.

The survey shows the number of students who view themselves as "middle-of-the-road" dropped by 1.7 percent since 2005 to an all-time low.

According to the survey, 28.4 percent of freshmen identify themselves as liberals and 23.9 percent align themselves with conservative ideologies.

The survey, based on answers from more than 270,000 first-year, full-time freshmen, shows that the pressing issues of the year are not being lost on students. With America in the middle of a war in Iraq, presidential candidates announcing their decisions to run in 2008 and a major shift of power in government, it is important for freshmen to understand the effect such events will have on students' lives.

In a time when young people have been pinned as apathetic, it is encouraging to see that college students are becoming both more informed and passionate about the events that affect the country.

According to the survey, freshmen expressed a concern for the rising financial demand of attending college. As tuition continues to rise, it is an important issue for every current and future college student.

This survey could be an indication of different problems, however. With more students watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report than CNN, students are forming opinions based on the views of outspoken TV personalities creating entertaining television. As the general American population has become more passionate about their views, the young people have followed suit. And there is danger in basing political ideologies on those advocated through the television.

It is necessary for students to form opinions from credible news sources aside from merely basing them on what Jon Stewart may think about an issue.

It's great that students are becoming less politically apathetic, but the next best thing would be for students to start forming their own opinions and not basing them all from comedic newscasters.

Personalities such as Stewart have made being political cool. However, being political does not necessarily equate to being informed and educated on current events.